William painter



N0. 5|3,936. Patented NOV. 3, I898.

' W. PAINTER.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING CORRUGATED CAPS.

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NITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM PAINTER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE CROWN CORK AND SEAL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING CORRUGATED CAPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,936, dated November 8, 1898. Application filed une 25, 1898. Serial No. 684,497. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM PAINTER, a citizen of the United States,'residing at Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Forming Corrugated Caps or Crowns, of which the following is a specification.

In Patent No. 468,226 I have shown and described a bottle-sealing device consisting in part of a cap or crown with a corrugated flange formed thereon, said flange being, in the operation of sealing the bottle,compressed to firmly embrace a suitably-formed bottlehead. In the production of these flanged corrugated caps or crowns I have used a form of punching and drawing press well known in the arts, havingincorporated therein gangs of punches, dies, &c., hereinafter shown and described. As the mechanism of the press which actuates the devices forming the subject-matter of this invention forms no part thereof and is well known and in very wide use for similar purposes, it will not be necessary to show or describe the same herein. In the operation a series of punches first cut the disks from the sheet metal of which these caps are made, after which a corresponding series of corrugated male formers force or draw the disks downward into corresponding female dies or formers, the whole of which operations are old and well known in the artof stamping or drawing of sheet metals. In the formation of sheet-metal objects of this character having corrugated flanges it has heretofore been thought necessary to employ not only corrugated female formers, but that it was also necessary to use in connection therewith correspondingly-corrugated male formers.

In the formation of uncorrugated cup or cap shaped articles from disks of sheet metal by the stamping or drawing process, in order to avoid the formation of irregular corrugations at the edge of the disk, which are not easily obliterated thereafter, it is generally found necessary to employ a follower or drawing plate, pressing upon and holding the outer edges of the disks in contact with the flat top of the lower or female former or die. In the similar formation of the caps or crown shown in the patent above referred to, although the flanges are purposely corrugated, it is also necessary to prevent the formation of irregular corrugations in the edges which are to contain the regularly-spaced corrugations required in them, as the irregular corrugations would interfere with the proper formation of the regular corrugations in the same manner as with plain uncorrugated flanges. It is therefore also necessary to employ followers or holding-plates in the formation of regularly-corrugated flanges.

In practice I have found that where the operations of forming a turned flange upon a disk of sheet metal and the drawing of regularly-spaced corrugations upon said flange are simultaneously performed by means of a male and female die or former it is not necessary to conform the male former to the corrugations of the lower or female former so long as the metal disk is held against the top surface of the female die, as required to prevent the formation of irregular corrugations in either of the cases above cited; but that the employment of a plain, smooth, uncorrugated male former is equally efficient under the conditions described in completely drawing the sheet metal into the depressions or corrugations of the female former.

In the employment of corrugated male formers, as has heretofore been thought necessary, the wear and tear upon the salient members constituting the corrugations of said male former is very great and on account of their necessary fragility are greatly liable to fracture, while the salient members of the corrugations in the female die are from its interior structure necessarily much stronger and more resistant and vastly less subject to wear.

It is the object of this invention to avoid the great expense incident to the wear and tear of a corrugated or fluted male former and the expense of their production and re newal, and to effect this purpose Ihave found it expedient to use a plain, smooth, uncorru- I find that the full effect of drawing the sheet metal into the depressions of the female die or former is thus completely effected.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the corrugated male former; Fig. 2, a similar view of the female die or former surrounded by its cutting ring or die; and Fig. 3, a similar View of the follower, which in this case also serves as a punch for severing the disks from the sheet of metal. Fig. ":1: is a sectional View of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, showing all parts in juxtaposition with the completed cap or crown between them. Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, illustrate the parts as heretofore used. Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view of the corresponding parts as made in conformity with this invention.

In the figures, B is the lower or female former or die, with the depressions B forming the corrugations shown therein in Fig. 2. The former or die B is surrounded by a cutting ring or die A.

G is the follower, whose lower end, in conjunction with the cutting-ring or die A, serves as a punch and die for removing the disks from the sheet of metal.

D is the male former in each case, and E the completed cap, in position in the dies or formers.

In Fig. 3 there is shown in dotted lines, and in full lines Where broken away, grooves or corrugations formed in a part of the interior of the follower C,required as heretofore made as a guide for the corresponding corrugations on the male former D to guide them into proper juxtaposition with the corresponding corrugations in the female former B, the salient members of the male former D sliding within the grooves or reentering spaces in the follower C.

The operation of the parts in both the old device and in this invention is as follows: The sheets of metal from which the caps or crowns are to be made are fed over the cutting-ring or die A, while the male former D and its follower C are raised to allow of its passage. The follower O is then caused to descend and, acting with the cutting-ring or die A as a punch, sever the disk from the sheet,

leaving it lying flat upon the top surface of the female former or die B. The follower O is then caused to further descend until it holds the disk by its outer edges against the top surface of the female former or die, but not with suflicient pressure to prevent the edge of the disk which is to form the flange from sliding into the female former or die B as forced into it by the descent of the male former D, which immediately succeeds the arrival of the follower C at its lower position. In this operation the plain male former D (shown in Fig. 5 in conjunction with the follower (J) serves to as effectually draw the metal of the flange into the depressions or corrugations of the female former or die as with the corrugated male former and follower shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the product in each cannot be distinguished from one an other.

This invention is designed to and does save the very considerable cost of forming the corrugations upon the exterior of the male former D and the corresponding corrugations on the interior of the follower O and the cost and loss of time involved in keeping in order the fragile points of the salient members forming the corrugations on the male former D.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- A set of cutting, forming and drawing tools for use in a punching and drawing press, designed to produce corrugated caps or crowns, comprising a corrugated female former or die, a plain cylindrical male former or die, a cutting-die surrounding the female former, and a follower independent of and inclosing the male former and adapted to act in conjunction with said eutting-die to sever the blank and hold the same with suilicient force to insure the metal being drawn by the male former into the corrugations of the female former, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM PAIN ER.

\Vitn esses:

JOHN T. HAWKINS, W. H. WHEELER. 

